her hand open, was tenaciously waiting.

Alone, carefully refolding the kimono in its original creases,
Christine wondered what the man's name was. She felt that the
mysterious future might soon disclose a germ of happiness.




Chapter 6

THE ALBANY


G.J. Hoape--He was usually addressed as "G.J." by his friends, and
always referred to as "G.J." by both friends and acquaintances--woke
up finally in the bedroom of his flat with the thought:

"To-day I shall see her."

He inhabited one of the three flats at the extreme northern end of the
Albany, Piccadilly, W.I. The flat was strangely planned. Its shape
as a whole was that of a cube. Imagine the cube to be divided
perpendicularly into two very unequal parts. The larger part,
occupying nearly two-thirds of the entire cubic space, was the
drawing-room, a noble chamber, large and lofty. The smaller part was
cut horizontally into two storeys. The lower storey comprised a very
small hall, a fair bathroom, the tiniest staircase in London, and
G.J.'s very small bedroom. The upper storey comprised a very small
dining-room, the kitchen, and servants' quarters.